The Princess half-marathon you ask? I wish! I actually wanted to do that about two years before my knee replacement and my doctor said that if I attempted it they would have to bring me back in a wheel chair and schedule surgery for BOTH knees.
I went for my first full 1-mile walk this afternoon. Took well over an hour with all the stops I had to make to sit down and rest my body. I put it that way because in a cardio sense, I was crawling like a snail so there was no exertion, but my body was killing me - my quads, glutes, knees, back - everything. While I was walking I said I have been having this all wrong in terms of going to Disney.
First let me say, that Disney is my most favorite place to visit, and I have no argument against it calling itself "The Happiest Place on Earth." I have been to Europe, the Middle East, and many many US states - including Hawaii which is absolutely gorgeous, and Canada, and I'm sorry, friends - but there is NO where else I would rather be than Walt Disney World. So - that being said, let me just say that I am practically pining away with thoughts of going. I had to cancel a trip at Christmas, 2009 because I had just had rotator-cuff surgery on December 1st, and the trip was scheduled for the 13th. Then now my knee surgery.
I was thinking - oh when I lose weight that will be my reward. When I am back from my daughter's wedding (in Italy, no less) then I will save money and vacation time for my trip to Disney, etc. Well boy, did I have an eye-opener today about 1/4 way into my walk.
It has nothing to do with money, time off, rewards, etc. It has to do with - can I walk three miles without having to stop and call the paramedics? Granted, last time I went I used the old-lady scooter around Epcot and it made a HUGE difference in how I enjoyed that park, but the other parks (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) are not conducive to those scooters. As it is, I got dirty looks when using the scooter in Epcot - and those "roadways/streets" are as wide as 2-3 lane roads! With the tightness of the other parks I couldn't see myself scootering around.
So - call it a reward if you will, for all the hard work it is going to take, but the issue isn't money saved or weight lost. It's can I walk? Can I endure a day on my feet without pain and the ensuing whimpering? I just wouldn't enjoy myself - no matter HOW happy WDW is, if I was in any fraction of the discomfort I was in just with this one mile today.
I know it has to get better (well... only if I keep it up). So I am now officially in training for a trip to Disney. It won't hurt, either, that my daughter's wedding is in September of next year and it will be nice to be in shape for that too! :)
Miriam
One day at a time! Disney...watch OUT! Here she comes!
ReplyDeleteTraining for Disney is as important as training for a marathon. It is a marathon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a reward for yourself, Miriam! I do remember you canceling your trip to Disney in '09 as it was back to back with our Orlando Reunion, which you also were not able to make, much to our chagrin. ;( In fact, I had planned to share some of the Disney magic with you if you had been there ...but ended up not going to Disney that year at all, either. I finally made my 1st trip to Disney World in November, 2010 --- and it was more than magical! I loved every minute of it!! And, yes, I, too, will be back...perhaps with a new knee or two as well! : )
ReplyDeleteOh, my, you bit off too much! You've got to do baby steps! Walking in the 3 foot pool is great. On land, you must start out smaller; after a particularly bad back injury, I began with walking out my driveway and walking down past 3 neighbors' houses and returning. Each day I added a house, and before I knew it, I was walking 3 miles. Every now and then I would have to spend 2 or 3 days on a certain number of houses before I could progress. Remember your mantra that you are 3 months out of 12 healed. No way I could have walked a mile at 3 months. Heck, I probably can't now, but I better get working on it. My PT has cleared me to get back to the gym and becoming more active.
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